/PROGRAM · Business purpose
Foreign national mortgages
US retail banks decline for lack of an SSN or a US credit file, and a home-country bank generally won’t lend on US property at all. The money is there; the credit file isn’t.
- Scope
- Business-purpose loan. Available in any state. Not for owner-occupied properties.
- Best if
- there’s no US credit file and the property is an investment you won’t occupy.
- Not for
- a home you intend to live in, seasonally or otherwise.
- First step
- Tell me the property, how it will be rented, and how you want to hold title.
Financing for buyers without a US Social Security number or US credit history, qualifying instead on the property’s own numbers, or on foreign income and assets. This is investment financing, typically closed in an LLC, on property you do not occupy.
Some states restrict property ownership by buyers domiciled in certain countries. That is a property-ownership question for a real estate attorney, not a financing one. I will say so plainly and point you there. My role is the financing.
Who a foreign national loan is for
Non-resident investor
Moving capital into US real estate, closing in an LLC, with no US credit file.
Buy-and-hold rental buyer
A single rental or a small portfolio, bought for the income rather than for your own use.
Parent buying near a university
Buying near a child’s school instead of paying four years of rent or dorm fees, and renting it out afterwards.
Expat building a US rental portfolio
Living abroad, income documented overseas, growing US rentals remotely.
How a foreign national loan works
- 01
Tell me the property, how it will be rented, and how you want to hold title.
- 02
Qualifying leans on the property’s numbers, or on foreign income and asset documentation, instead of a US credit file.
- 03
The property has to be an investment you do not occupy. A primary or second home you intend to use yourself is not eligible for this program.
- 04
Remote and power-of-attorney closings are common in this space.
Questions about a foreign national loan
I don’t have a US credit score.
That’s expected here. These programs look at the property and your overseas financial picture instead of a US credit file.
My bank back home said this isn’t possible.
Most home-country banks do not lend on US property at all. This is a different lane: US-based financing built for non-resident buyers.
I don’t have US tax returns.
Also expected. Foreign income and asset documentation is used instead. I can tell you what’s typically needed once I know more about your situation.
Can I close without ever coming to the US?
In many cases, yes. Remote and power-of-attorney closings are common in this space, and I will lay out exactly what is involved for your situation.
Can I put it in my child’s name?
That changes the whole structure, and how title is held affects which lane the loan sits in. Worth a real conversation before deciding.
Can I use it myself part of the year?
Not on this program. This is investment financing on a property you do not occupy. A second home, or a primary residence you intend to use, is a different conversation and a different lane.
Related reading
All guides →Buying US property without a US credit file
The money is usually there. What’s missing is the specific document a conventional lender is built to read.
Myth: a foreign national buying US property has to pay cash
The belief is common enough that people budget around it. Financing exists for buyers with no US credit file and no Social Security number.
Send this scenario
Tell me the property and the plan and I’ll come back with what’s eligible. Eligibility and terms vary by scenario.